A known technique for treating a wide variety of physical ailments is to apply a therapeutic article, such as a hot or cold pack, to the affected area. A known hot pack is a common hot-water bottle, which is typically held on a desired part of the body by hand, or placed on a bed so that a patient may lie on top of it. Other hot packs, such as those which employ an exothermic chemical reaction as a source of heat, are common. Cold packs, such as ice wrapped in a towel, are similarly held to a bruised or injured area by hand. A cold pack may use an endothermic chemical reaction or may be refrigerated prior to its application to a patient.
It is often quite inconvenient for a patient to hold a therapeutic article on an affected area; this occupies the hands of the patient and thus limits the ability to perform other tasks or to move about.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,573,791 (Howells) and 3,952,735 (Wirtschafter et al.) teach therapeutic articles applied to the human body by the use of adhesive tabs. The patent to Howells teaches a bandage comprising a heated area surrounded by a flexible material having an adhesive backing. The adhesive serves to secure the entire article to the patient's body with the heated area overlying the injury. The article shown by Wirtschafter et al. also employs a bandage having a therapeutic portion surrounded by flexible material having an adhesive backing.
The articles described in these patents suffer from the disadvantage that they are not easily removable or replaceable. When these articles are removed from the patient's body, the adhesive material must also be removed. Thus, when applying an article, such as a hot pack, the patient is subjected to a continual removing and reapplying of an adhesive strip which is painful and also irritates the patient's skin.
It is also known to secure a therapeutic article to a patient's body by placing the article on the body and then wrapping a flexible strip or bandage around both the body part and the article. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,036,220 (Bellasalma) and 3,815,610 (Winther) teach such a technique. The patent to Bellasalma teaches a water-proof covering which protects a bandage and is secured to a patient by a foam strip with ends which may be removably connected. Winther shows an envelope containing a hot pack which is placed around the neck of a patient, and a strip is then secured around the hot pack to hold it in place.
The technique of securing a therapeutic article to a patient with tape wrapped around the article and the body frequently results in excessive pressure being applied to the injury. Thus, the patient is forced to use his own hands to maintain the article in the proper position or to orient his body so that the article will naturally remain in the proper position.